Back on the road

I was correct in that I received a load assignment.  It came through yesterday afternoon, for pickup this morning and delivery on Friday.  It's not a long trip, but it keeps me moving and will add a few bucks to the bank account.

It's been a very long, tiring day, mainly because of having to deal with not just the traffic, but the many layers of contacts at the place I work for.  The more I have to interact with the office, the less enchanted with the company I become.  Notice that I said "the company" and not "the job," because while the job can be frustrating at times, I still like what I do, to a point.

What I can do without, however, is the anger and frustration I get just trying to fulfill my duties as was explained to me before I even hit the road.  Here's some examples:

• Before I roll on a trip, I have to place a call to my driver manager and do a verbal trip plan, and once it's agreed upon, send it back in so there's a record of it in the system.  Sounds great in theory, right?  Well, try getting through on our phone lines.  I sat on hold for four solid hours waiting to do the verbal before I gave up, wrote up the route I planned to take (which I vetted with the road atlas, as per policy), and sent it in.  
• Our computer system sends a recommended route once you acknowledge your load assignment, showing fueling locations to use and the like.  This run had no fuel stops, until we went through the trip plan, after which it changed the route we agreed upon and added a fuel stop twenty miles off-route.  Basically, I have to bypass my destination to fuel and head back again.  And then they tell you not to gain too many out-of-route miles.

I guess it's no wonder that I'm actively looking for a local driving job.  Besides the fact that the life of a road warrior gets lonely and I'd like to be able to sink into my own bed more than once every five weeks or so, dealing with this crap on a daily basis is wearing me down.  And I'm far from the only one.  I spoke to a driver just last week, who was only halfway through the first part of the "solo grad driver" program, and he said that as soon as he dropped the load he had, he was requesting a route back to the terminal because he was quitting.

You know it's bad when you're out getting your trailer's annual inspection and the shop manager of the place you're visiting says that he wonders how anyone can conduct business with our comany given it's next to impossible to get through on the phone.  And all I can do is nod, and add, "This is what I deal with on a daily basis."

I know this turned into an anti-work rant, but it needed to be said to someone else, besides being screamed at full volume in the cab of the truck.  Tomorrow I'll go to the stupid fuel stop, camp there for the rest of the day, and deliver my load in the morning on Friday.  After which, who knows where the roads will lead.  I will try to keep you posted.